Tests and procedures used to diagnose lung cancer include a combination of imaging tests and biopsy of an area of abnormal growth detected on a scan, or on clinical examination.
Results of imaging investigations may suggest that a person has lung cancer, but a diagnosis of cancer can only be made after identifying cancer cells in a biopsy specimen obtained from the area of abnormal growth.
Diagnostic tests may include:
After confirming the diagnosis of lung cancer, further tests may be performed to determine if the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. This information is used to decide the stage of lung cancer. Different stages of lung cancer require different types of treatment.
Examples of these tests:
Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are staged differently.
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